More than 600 teaching posts remain unfilled just one week before schools reopen across Ireland, as unions warn that government inaction continues to fuel an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis in education.
At second-level, 284 unfilled teaching posts in subjects like English, biology, and maths are still being advertised, while at primary level, 140 mainstream classroom teacher posts remain unfilled. An additional 180 roles for special education teachers, special class teachers, supply teachers and support staff are also vacant.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland described the persistent shortage as an annual occurrence, despite schools working “relentlessly” to secure full teaching complements. A recent ASTI survey of school leaders revealed the extent of the crisis, with almost 70% reporting unfilled vacancies due to recruitment difficulties.
The survey findings paint a dire picture of the education system’s staffing challenges. Nearly 80% of second-level schools had no applicants for advertised positions during the 2024/25 school year, while 90% reported no substitute teachers available to cover absent staff. Most concerning, 73% were forced to employ unqualified or casual teachers to manage supply issues.
The staffing crisis is directly impacting education quality, with 42% of schools forced to remove subjects from their curriculum due to teacher shortages. This represents a significant erosion of educational opportunities for students across the country.
ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie criticized the Department of Education’s approach, stating it appears to be “waiting for demographic shifts to lessen the problem” rather than implementing necessary reforms. He called for fundamental changes including shortening the excessively long teachers’ pay scale and doubling middle management posts in schools.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland has separately accused the Department of trying to “ride out” recruitment issues and called for halving the professional master of education program from two years to one.